


An Anniversary Surprise

by MoonlitMusings



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, have i mentioned recently how much i love that juno is canonically a good cook?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 03:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15161174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitMusings/pseuds/MoonlitMusings
Summary: In which Juno shows off his cooking skills, and Peter gets a taste of home in more ways than one.





	An Anniversary Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution for day 3 of Juno Steel Fluff Week 2018: Cooking. I hope you enjoy!

“That place looks fancy,” Juno says, looking over Peter’s shoulder at the website for a restaurant Peter is looking at.

“Hm? I suppose it is a bit more upscale than what we usually do, but then, that is the point. I’m looking for places to go for our anniversary. I know it’s still two weeks away, but when it comes to some of these places, that may still not be enough time to get a reservation in time.” Juno makes a quiet noise of acknowledgement, and digs his toes into the carpet. He takes a deep breath to try to calm himself down.

“About that...” he begins. Peter turns to look at him. “I uh, I actually had an idea for it.” Peter’s face lit up.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. There's something I kinda wanted to do, and, well, you always plan everything like this, and I thought... I dunno. I thought I could do something for you for once." Peter’s smile grows brighter, and Juno feels his breath catch.

"I’m touched, darling. What did you have in mind?"

"I... it's a surprise."

"Oh? I do enjoy surprises." Juno lets out the breath he had started holding, his relief visible.

"Yeah, so just... don't worry about anything, alright? I've got the night covered. I'd say don't worry about getting me anything either, but I know you will anyway, so I won't even bother." Peter grins.

"You know me too well. I can't help it! I just enjoy spoiling you too much."

"Yeah, I know you do. So like I said, I wanna do something for you for once." Peter leans in and gives Juno a kiss, his smile not fading as he pulls away and exits the website.

“Well, I’m looking forward to it immensely."

 

 

The whole week before, Peter can tell Juno is nervous, but he’s also focused. He keeps bringing home bags of mysterious items that he immediately hides, and looking over files and pages, only to cover them up whenever Peter gets close enough to read them. So when Peter hears about an opportunity for a quick, easy job a couple days before the big day that would allow him to get home just in time for their anniversary dinner, he jumps at it, if only to make things easier on Juno, who does seem to relax a bit at the news. The poor dear had never been good at sneaking and secrets.  
When Peter gets back, he’s not sure what to expect. The first thing he notices though, hits him before he even opens the door to the apartment. There’s warm, delicious smells just making their way past the door. Juno is cooking them dinner then! When he opens the door, he’s surprised to find the table usually sitting against a wall by the kitchen sitting in the middle of the living room, with a rich purple tablecloth and silver candles on top. The whole room is mostly dark except for the light from the candles placed around the room, and the light bleeding in from the direction of the kitchen. As he steps inside, the smell of dinner cooking grows stronger. A mix of delicious scents fill the air, rich and spiced and warm and oddly familiar. He finds Juno darting around the kitchen, mixing this, stirring that, pulling something out of the oven... His lady never seems to realize it, but he really does have a certain grace to him. The way he moves when he feels in his element is bewitching, and Peter can't help but stare. Juno turns and finally spotted Peter, freezing in place. Peter gives him a delighted smile.

"Hello, darling."

"Hi! Shit, sorry everything isn't quite ready yet. I thought you'd be getting back later."

"It's alright, I managed to catch an earlier flight," Peter explains, wandering in and giving Juno a kiss on the cheek. "Mmm, everything smells delicious." Peter lifts a lid slightly off of a pot and breathes deeply. The scent once again strikes him as somewhat familiar, but it takes a moment to place where from. His eyes widen as he recognizes the blends of herbs and spices as something he hasn’t encountered in years. Juno doesn’t pause in his mixing, but glances nervously at Peter as he replaces the lid and takes a taste of the contents of another pan, the memories growing stronger the more he thinks about them. He turns back to Juno.

"Is all this..."

"It's... Brahmese, yeah. Mostly, anyways. I had to fudge a couple ingredients because I couldn’t find them, and I’ve never really had good Brahmese food so I wasn’t completely sure what I was going for, but I think it turned out alright. I... I know you love travelling and all that. Going from place to place, not really getting too attached to anywhere-"

"Except for here, of course," Peter interjects, moving to Juno and wrapping his arms around him. Juno smiles a little.

"Yeah. But... well, I also know the place you grew up... it never really leaves you, you know? I... I know not all of the memories are good, I know a lot of them aren’t, but... you loved it there. I felt it, when I... when you let me... And I thought... I don't know. You always talk about this being home, me being home... and I thought it might be nice to bring a little of your old home here."

Peter doesn't quite trust himself to speak, so instead he pulls Juno into a kiss, sweet and messy and full of emotion. He’s still a bit overwhelmed by the time he pulls away, but he also feels like he has a better handle on it, at least enough for him not to start crying then and there. He rests his forehead against Juno's and takes a breath.

"I... thank you, Juno."

"You like it, then?" Peter lets out a quiet, slightly watery laugh.

"Yes, love. It's..." He takes another breath. "It's perfect." He feels Juno relax in his arms at that, and Peter can't help but find his nervousness endearing.

"I'm glad. And I hate to break the moment,” Juno says, pulling away a little and nodding towards one of the pots on the stove, “but I need to go stir that before it burns.”

"Oh! Of course," Peter replies, stepping back with a chuckle.

"There's some wine in the fridge if you want something to drink. I should only be another 10 minutes or so." Peter smiles and went to grab the bottle, along with a couple glasses.

"Alright. I'll be waiting in the living room, then." Juno flashes him a smile before turning back to the stove, and Peter's heart swells at the sight. Smiles that that on Juno are such a rare treat, though he's noticed them getting more common, and they never fail to take his breath away. It ends up being 15 minutes, rather than 10, but Peter considers it well worth the wait. Everything is delicious, warm and rich and nostalgic and comforting in a way he never would have expected when he first left Brahma. Juno clearly went through a lot of effort to get everything right. Peter know how hard some of the spices and ingredients could be to find.

Their conversation is relaxed in the way that only comes with deep familiarity. Peter tells Juno about his most recent heist, and Juno details for him his latest case. By the time they’re finished, they’re both full, happy, and slightly tipsy, and Peter decides it’s the perfect time to give Juno his present. Juno's brow furrows slightly and he pulls the items out of the box.

"Are these..."

"Holo-comms," Peter confirms. "Not the newest model, but a reliable one. Particularly over long distances. I had Rita tinker with them, so they're also one of the most secure pairs of them in the galaxy. I... I know I'm away for a while, sometimes. And as lovely as calling you normally is, I miss seeing you somewhere other than on a small screen. I thought this might make things a little easier." Juno looks up at him from the devices, clearly at a loss for words.

"This is... I’m... These..." He lets out a small laugh. " Thanks. This is... I miss it too, when you're gone. Being in the same room as you, that is. It'll be nice to not feel quite so far away." He offers an awkward smile that Peter can't resist leaning in to kiss. From there, it doesn't take long for them to clear the table and work their way into the bedroom, both determined to thoroughly show the other their appreciation. They have the all of next day to figure out how to work the holo-comms, and for Peter to show Juno some of the little trinkets he picked up on his most recent trip. But right now, they had each other's warmth, and blankets, and kisses, and the lingering smell of spices in the air.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're curious, I've always imagined Brahmese food to be sort of a mix between Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European foods. Warm, hearty, and lots of spices. Though a lot of the spices they would use probably don't exist and would require hundreds or thousands of years' worth of selective breeding to produce. Such is scifi. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
